"Probably was Sir. I'd prefer not to find out myself, it's just too detached for my liking."She responded distractedly, one ear still tuned into the conversation across the room. What little she picked up was enough to send a shiver of trepidation running down her spine. Hearing the Douglas and heavy casualties mentioned in the same breath didn't bode well. She turned in the direction of the sound, and found herself looking into the all-too-familiar eyes of the desk-jockey. The Ex-Marine blinked slowly, her face a mask. Not here. As if to answer her, a waiter returned to the table ferrying a bottle. From the look of the thing, it would be well beyond sailor's wages. She only knew one person in the Navy who'd order such things.
Suddenly her Naval career felt a lot less certain. Even so, the Douglas... She''d known a lot of good people on that ship. She bought the glass to her lips, downing the rest of the clear liquid.
"If you''ll excuse me Sir."She was moving before Lewis could respond, weaving her way around the toppling bar staff. Her heels slid together with an audible click as she reached the desk-officer's table, snapping to attention, the view of the man from the side confirming what she'd suspected. Normally she would have heisted to give a paper-pusher the time of day. Then again, this was hardly a normal situation.
"Lieutenant Commander. I didn't expect to see you here Sir."She'd hoped not to meet this particular officer for a good few months, and with good reason. Remus Sius had the ability to send her application down the tube with a few words in the right ears. Naval Detention Centres were not her idea of a good time. It was doubtful that he would, but the Officer had shown himself to be anything but predictable. Her heart sank when she saw the forms on his desk. It didn''t matter what service you were in, those gilded envelopes were something no-one ever wanted to receive. It is with great regret that I write to inform you...'¦ Hartman pulled her gaze from the text. She didn''t need to read anymore, she knew full well how the sentence finished. Anyone who had ever worn a uniform did. She stood in silence for a moment, a familiar numbness seeping through her, an automatic reaction to what her mind was processing. So many names. Three years ago the 4th Regiment had been posted to the Douglas. She wondered if there'd still been any members of her old unit on board. Not that brooding on it did them any good.
![[Image: icthMHY.png]](http://i.imgur.com/icthMHY.png)